Jasper's First Christmas
by HisLight.InMe
Summary: A one shot about Jasper and Alice and their first Christmas together before they were married.  Just a little Christmas fluff for you to enjoy!


From the archway Jasper watched his new friend Alice looking up at the tree. The lights shimmered on tinsel that covered the evergreen.

"Cider?" Jasper asked, coming into the room and pointing to the cup in Alice's hand. His eyebrow lifted slightly.

"I'm not drinking it. I just wanted to smell it." A sad look came over her face.

He wasn't used to Alice looking sad. She was always cheerful, looking to the future for hope. He hurried to her side, unsure of what to do. "Ma'am, are you quite alright?"

"Yes," Alice said, shocking him by pulling him to his knees beside her. "Just sit here with me."

He looked down and her hand was still laced into his own. At first he thought about taking it away but she was sad and he was nothing if not a gentlemen.

His power, feeling all the grief inside her was useless at this point. He would have to read her mind to understand the emotion.

Until now, Things had been going well. At least once a day, Alice saw a vision of _the others _and they knew they were on the right track. They were so close now, it could be any day.

"Miss Alice? May I ask what is the matter? You know I can feel all that anxiousness inside you."

"It's just… This is my first Christmas outside…at least the first one with a friend. And I can't eat anything or drink anything. I wish I could have had one real Christmas as a…"

"Human." Now, he understood. Jasper had had many good Christmas' before the war and even during it with his men, but this little waif holding his hand, had never seen a happy day. Even now, this tree and the mug of cider wasn't her own, it belonged to the inn keeper's family.

"Excuse me, ma'am," he said, getting to his feet. "I have an errand to attend to." He tried to walk away but she held tighter to his hand. Her perfect little face looked up at him with great sorrow.

"I'll be right back." Patting her hand he let it go and left.

Box in hand he reentered the room. Alice had not moved from her spot. The mug of cider now sat on the floor. She looked up, her face brighter now. A smile stretched from ear to ear. There was something so pleasant about how she looked; childish or fairy like.

"You got me a gift," she said. It was a statement.

Jasper felt awkward, suddenly unsure. It was difficult to surprise someone who could not be surprised.

"I should have known you would brighten our first Christmas. Now, give me the baby doll."

"Perhaps you would like something else? Something for a young lady, rather than a child? I just thought-"

"That someone who has never had a child's Christmas should have an appropriate gift? Don't worry, Jasper Hale, this is the best gift you could have given me."

"Well, you haven't seen it y—Never mind." He chuckled and handed the box to the girl.

Lifting the lid, she gasped. He thought it might have been just for his benefit, but then he could feel all of her happiness and pleasure.

A pink little baby in a pink dress was nestled in paper. "She's lovely, Jasper. Thank you."

Alice ran her fingers around the cheeks of the doll's face and smiled at him.

"I just wanted you to be happy again."

"I am," she said, getting to her feet and pulling him by the arm to the arch way.

"You see, in a way…this is my first Christmas too."

Alice looked confused, "How? Didn't you have Christmas in Texas?"

"Yes, but this is my first real one…since I changed. All the ones before now…were…less than ideal."

Taking his hand, her smile widened. "And this is why Christmas will always be our favorite."

"This?" Jasper asked.

Alice pointed up and following her finger, he found mistletoe hanging above them.

"Miss Alice, I would never be so forward." The thought of kissing the young girl he was escorting seemed indecent, even if she was no longer a young girl.

"It's tradition." A little wicked smile passed over her normally innocent face. In that moment, she looked nothing like a girl and every bit of a woman.

Jasper sighed and pecked a kiss on the top of her head. "That's all you will be getting, Ma'am."

"Oh, I know." Alice smiled and looked satisfied, like she knew more, but wasn't telling him.

He sighed again. "You know all of your visions don't come true. I can choose something else."

"Oh, I know," she said, pulling him back to the tree. "I know."


End file.
